1. Left Limit, Right Limit: An Approach to Understanding Political Issues Part IIIa

In Weekly Ezine #15, I wrote, “In Part III next week, I’m going to show you what the two parties say about one another based on their fund raising material. Then, in Part IV, I’ll use this material to propose some left limits for the Democrats and some right limits for the Republicans.”

So much for good intentions. I have enough material I have decided to do a Part IIIa for Democratic fundraising and come back next week with input from Republicans.

One difference immediately becomes apparent. Democrats have generally been out of power for the past 7 years. Their lack of a majority in the Senate has kept them from achieving the goals they had for themselves after the 2006 election. As result, the language in their writings is not about their fears for what Republicans will do if they come to power. Their writings are about their disgust for what Republicans have done since they have been in power and their desire to reverse what Republicans have done.

Here are some of Democrats specific concerns from their fund raising materials. (These are my summaries. In most cases, I’m quoting what was in the letters.)

 Getting our troops safely out of Iraq
 Make affordable healthcare a reality
 Create better jobs and a secure retirement
 Expand college opportunities
 Make public schools the best in the world
 Restore America to a position of respect and leadership.
 Return our country to the people.

The Bush Administration has—
 Shown lack of respect for our laws
 Shown total disregard for our Constitution
 Put abuse of power and ideology ahead of personal rights and liberties
 Turned Iraq into a Civil War
 Turned the Supreme Court into a launching pad for extreme ideological views
 Displayed overall incompetence

Democrats believe that no matter which Republican is elected to the White House and whatever his stated positions you will continue to see the same ideology dedicated to—
 More war and a permanent presence in Iraq
 New attempts to privatize Social Security
 More out of control spending coupled with tax cuts for the wealthy
 Inaction on health care (maintenance of the status quo)
 Continued crackdown on civil rights and liberties
 Further erosion of the Constitution.

I will note in advance that a technique both parties use in their fund raising is providing a “survey” to seek members’ opinions. Often, the questions in these surveys are phrased in a, “When was it you stopped beating your wife?” way. For example, one Democratic survey question was, “How seriously will the Republican failure to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act impact our children’s future?”
 
One item that was a staple of Democratic fundraising in 2006 and 2007 that seems to have faded is the association of Republicans with the term “Culture of Corruption”.

Both Democrats and Republicans accuse each other of being willing to do, say and spend whatever it takes to win in November.

An interesting sentence from one of the 2008 fund raisers was this one. “Democrats have the concerns of working families as the top priority in Washington.”  Several different comments are possible on this. I’ll hold my own and see what you have to say.

Since John McCain has become the Republican nominee, more is being written in Democratic literature about the specifics of why McCain should be defeated. Democrats contend Republicans will strive to keep John McCain’s image as a moderate intact, when in actuality—

 McCain will keep our troops trapped in Iraq for 100 years or more.
 McCain wants the Bush tax cuts to be permanent.
 McCain’s campaign is run by lobbyists, yet McCain is supposedly the champion of campaign finance reform.

What I have tried to do here is provide a summary of what is with minimal commentary. That’s hard, because I have a lot of commentary I could make, both pro and con. In the interest of trying to keep this fairly brief, I will invite you readers to comment yourselves.

By the way, whether you like or dislike something I post on this Blog, if you were moved enough to vote, I would appreciate your posting a comment so I can know what sparked you to act. Thanks in advance.

2. Larry On TV July 16

I met yesterday with the Producer and Co-Host of an Omaha public access TV show that has gained a great deal of notoriety in a very short period of time. In fact, negotiations are underway to have this show on with one of the network affiliate stations in early 2009.  The show’s format is talk TV focused on, “stirring controversy by starting conversation.” The show’s title is “Hot Spit”. Sam Hunter is a very engaging and intelligent man. He and I share being Army veterans and attendance at Missouri State University. Sam is going to have me on the air July 16 for two 30 minute segments and more after that. For those of you outside Omaha, I will work with Sam to get the video posted somewhere you can see it. Thanks, Sam, for the opportunity to be part of your show.